- NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE NORTHERN AGRICULTURAL REGION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
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Agriculture is the foundation of the Shire of Victoria Plains economy. Broadacre cropping and livestock production dominate much of the rural landscape and support grain handling, transport, agricultural services and other local businesses.
The Shire’s location relatively close to Perth and its connections through major road and rail networks provide access to regional, metropolitan and export markets. Calingiri and the Shire’s smaller communities provide services to the surrounding agricultural district.
Tourism also contributes to the local economy. New Norcia is a nationally distinctive heritage and cultural destination, while rural landscapes, wildflowers, local events and small communities provide additional visitor experiences across the Shire.
Victoria Plains is seeking to diversify its economy through new investment and industries. Renewable-energy development, mining and resource projects, space-related infrastructure and associated tourism opportunities have the potential to create new employment and business activity, while agriculture is expected to remain a major part of the local economy.
The Shire of Victoria Plains spans the transition between the Perth Basin in the west and the ancient Yilgarn Craton further east. This geological transition contributes to considerable variation in the Shire’s landforms and soils.
Western parts of the Shire include sedimentary rocks and younger deposits associated with the Perth Basin and Swan Coastal Plain. Further east, landscapes are underlain predominantly by ancient crystalline rocks of the Yilgarn Craton, including granitic and metamorphic rocks. Younger alluvial and other surface deposits occur along drainage systems and in low-lying areas.
The landscape includes broad plains and gently undulating agricultural country, sandplains, low hills and rises, rocky outcrops, breakaways and drainage valleys. Soils are similarly diverse and include deep sands, sandy and loamy earths, duplex soils, gravelly soils and heavier clay soils associated with valleys and drainage systems.
The Shire extends across parts of the Dandaragan Plateau (SWA01) subregion of the Swan Coastal Plain bioregion and the Merredin (AVW01) subregion of the Avon Wheatbelt bioregion. This transition is reflected in its native vegetation, which includes Banksia woodlands and shrublands on sandy soils in the west and eucalypt woodlands, mallee and Acacia shrublands further inland.
Remnant vegetation in the western part of the Shire may form part of the nationally listed Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain ecological community. This community is listed as Endangered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. It is characterised by a prominent Banksia component on the Swan Coastal Plain and adjoining areas, although individual patches must meet the community’s diagnostic and condition requirements to qualify as the nationally protected ecological community.
Remnant eucalypt woodlands in the eastern part of the Shire may also form part of the nationally listed Eucalypt Woodlands of the Western Australian Wheatbelt ecological community, which is listed as Critically Endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Characteristic canopy species of this community include York gum (Eucalyptus loxophleba), salmon gum (Eucalyptus salmonophloia), wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo), red morrel (Eucalyptus longicornis) and other Wheatbelt eucalypts.
Remaining native vegetation is particularly important within the extensively cleared agricultural landscape, providing habitat for native flora and fauna and contributing to ecological connectivity between larger remnants.
Agriculture is the dominant land use across the Shire of Victoria Plains, with broadacre cropping and livestock production occupying extensive areas of the rural landscape. Protecting productive agricultural land and maintaining its long-term viability remain important land-use planning priorities.
Urban, commercial, industrial and community land uses are concentrated within the Shire’s townsites and settlements, including Calingiri, Bolgart, Piawaning and New Norcia. Rural industries, transport infrastructure and other services support the surrounding agricultural district.
The Shire also contains areas of remnant native vegetation, waterways, wetlands, reserves and other land with important biodiversity and landscape values. Within the extensively modified agricultural landscape, these areas provide important habitat and ecological connections and require protection from inappropriate development and land degradation.
Land use is continuing to evolve, with interest in renewable-energy generation, electricity transmission infrastructure, mining and other new developments. Planning for these activities needs to consider their interaction with productive agriculture, communities, biodiversity, water resources, landscape and cultural values.
The Shire of Victoria Plains has a small and dispersed population living across the communities of Calingiri, Bolgart, Piawaning and New Norcia, as well as farms and rural properties throughout the district. Calingiri is the Shire’s principal administrative centre, while the smaller settlements provide important focal points for their surrounding rural communities.
At the 2021 Census, the Shire of Victoria Plains had 802 residents. The median age was 48 years, and 31 people — 3.9% of the population — identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
Agriculture and associated industries strongly influence employment and community life. The Shire’s small and geographically dispersed population makes access to services, infrastructure, community organisations, sporting facilities and volunteering particularly important to local communities.
Water resources in the Shire of Victoria Plains are strongly influenced by seasonal and variable rainfall and the inland drainage systems of the Wheatbelt. There are no major permanent rivers, and surface water occurs principally in seasonal waterways and drainage lines, pools and wetlands, farm dams and other constructed water storages. Reliable water supplies are particularly important for agriculture, communities and emergency response. Scheme water, rainwater tanks, farm dams, bores and strategic community water supplies contribute to water security across the Shire. Non-potable strategic supplies at locations including Bolgart and Calingiri provide water for purposes such as emergency livestock watering and firefighting. Historical clearing for agriculture has altered vegetation cover and hydrology across the Wheatbelt landscape. Salinity, waterlogging, drainage and water quality can therefore require management in susceptible areas, alongside protection of waterways, wetlands and remaining native vegetation. Maintaining and improving water security is an important priority for Victoria Plains. Strategic planning is being used to assess existing water resources and infrastructure, identify future water sources and infrastructure needs, and improve the Shire’s resilience during extended dry periods.
